November 22, 2007

Can Bloomberg Fill JFK-Sized Hole in American Politics?

Michael Bloomberg is back in the 2008 presidential picture, and one thing is for sure: There is a statesman-sized hole to fill in the center of American politics. It would fit a figure who is strong on national security, unlike all the Democratic candidates, yet fiscally responsible and socially moderate to liberal, unlike the Republicans.

Bloomberg would be attractive to many American voters who, though fiscally moderate to conservative, don’t feel at home in the Republican Party because of social issues. These voters feel alienated by the Democrats’ politically motivated calls for immediate withdrawal because they realize that that is not a viable option. Bloomberg knows that, having called those Democrats “irresponsible.” In his Authors@Google talk from June, he clearly expresses a pragmatic view of Iraq based on facts, not politics or ideology.